Want a reasonable priced PC with functions comparable to a Mac computer? Then the Samsung R580 might be your dream computer.

I bought the Samsung R580 about a year and a half ago, because my two previous Pcs died about two years after purchasing them. So I want a laptop with staying power and some cool features.
I’ve never been a fan of Macs, so instead of getting a Mac, I wanted a Pc that could work just as well as a Mac, for way less than the price of one. After reading some reviews, and watching reviewer videos, I decided the best bet for my buck was the Samsung R580.Why?

As a college student, lover of films, and the color red, the Samsung R580 seemed perfect for my lifestyle. The laptop was nearly perfect for the first eight months. It did not freeze, did not overheat, and did not shut down unexpectedly. The video quality was excellent, and running high gigabit programs, like Adobe Premiere Pro, did not make the computer freeze, or shutdown. It had lots of memory, great speakers and easy to use. It was perfect for watching, or editing videos. Everything was great-

Then Came The Problems

until my computer start to develop a weird screen discoloration. It’s not completely distracting, but it is noticeable.

Some other problems is about a year into owning the laptop the battery completely dies. I’ve had other Pcs for longer, and the battery never died. So every year, you’ll probably have to spend about eighty dollars, more, or less (amazon, or ebay might offer cheaper alternatives) for a new battery. The battery life already does not last more than about two hours before it needs recharging. If you purchase the two years of insurance from Best Buy, or another retailer, you’ll get the replacement battery for free. If you can afford the insurance, get it.
After a year, you’ll also need to buy a cooling fan. I am heavy computer user, sometimes using my laptop for ten hours straight. If you are like me, and use it a lot for school, or work, you’ll need a cooling fan. The Samsung R580 begins to overheat and shutdown about ten months into ownership. This problem can be solved if you buy a good cooling fan.

Other setbacks of this Pc is the installed webcam is very low quality. It is one of the worst integrated webcams I’ve ever seen, but this problem can be solved if you buy, or already own (like in my case) a high quality webcam.

I also read that a lot of people have problems with their graphic card crashing. Mine has never crashed, but it’s a major problem of many.

Another problems is if you like small easy to carry laptops, this is not it. It takes up a lot of bookbag space, and can be quite heavy.

The paint also comes off easily on the keyboard, so getting a keyboard sleeve or protector is a good investment.

Pros and Cons

Though I focused mainly on the problems, the Samsung R580 is just as good as it is bad. Here is a further look at the problems and the attributes of the laptop.

Pros

Does not freeze, or crash often

Great video quality

Lots of memory

Great Blu-ray & DVD player

Runs large memory programs smoothly

Physically looks really unique and nice

Cons

Need to replace battery year

Screen discoloration

Laptop paint fades

Most of the memory is stored in hard drive D, not C.

Overheats & shuts down so you’ll need to buy a cooling fan

Terrible webcam

Alternatives

Samsung is rather new to the laptop making industry, so it does not have a huge variety of computers, but it does have others R-Series notebooks and netbooks. The R780 is basically the same as the R580 just bigger and more features, like more memory. The R480 is almost exactly like the R580 just smaller and less features. There are many brands of Pcs out there that can compare, but based on research the Samsung R580 has been compared to Toshiba Satellite A505-S6025 and Asus UL50VT-RBBBK05 based on price, graphics, and some features. Both alternatives do not have a built-in blu-ray. I have never tried either, but I know based on experience that Toshiba laptops are generally okay, but they’re almost impossible to fully repair once that have issues. Also, compared to a Mac, I still prefer my R580 because it’s simpler, but still has general good laptop qualities.

Some More Good

One of the major strong points for the Samsung R580, it has major technical issues but can be fixed manually just by buying some extra devices. All the problems are easy to fix without taking it to a professional and without spending over two hundred bucks. If you don’t use your computer much then most of these problems probably won’t affect you. All laptops, even Macs, eventually have technical issues, but I rather have a computer that when it does I can fix it, before I really need to take it to a computer technician for repairs. I am sure one day I will, but for now, the minor setbacks do not bother me as much as the general positives.

Conclusion

Despite, Samsung R580’s problems, it’s still my favorite pc thus far. Overall, going into the two year mark it still works so much better than the Dell and HP laptops I’ve previously owned. I’m hoping it’ll last for at least three more years without needing to take it in for repairs, and so far, it looks like a real possibility with a little more maintenance. I would recommend this Pc to you if you want lots of storage memory, video graphics are important to you, you still don’t want to spend the money for a mac/or not a fan of macs, short battery life is fine for you, and you do not mind spending some money to keep the computer working. Pretty good computer, but not without major issues.